A new container port in Bayonne, New Jersey is being built by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and though it will consume as much energy as 2,000 homes, all of the electricity in its wires will be generated by the wind. The new port is currently under construction, and a series of giant windmills will follow soon after. They’ve set aside a 70 acre area just east of the Global Terminal — where large container ships will dock — to build five 288 foot tall turbines.

The new container port is being built to accommodate cargo ships that are too large to pass under the Bayonne Bridge, where smaller ships are unloaded in the Elizabeth and Newark ports. Officials are expecting the new port to expand the intake of the port four fold from its current 323,000 containers annually. That’s a mighty large port and its installation could seriously weigh down the power grid in New Jersey. Wind mills seem like the perfect way to energize the new shipping area. They will be placed on a nearby peninsula where winds whip almost constantly. Bill Baroni, deputy executive director of the Port Authority notes that they have conducted surveys saying the peninsula is the perfect place for the turbines.

The New York and New Jersey Port Authority has recently vowed to lower their greenhouse gas emissions by 80% of 2006 levels by 2050 and they hope that this project will be one large step in the right direction. They have estimated the amount of power needed for the port and will install turbines to cover it — any extra energy will be sent to the grid for sale to residents.